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What happens when you apply

Debt review is a formal process under Section 86 of the National Credit Act, and it runs in a fixed sequence set by the National Credit Regulator. Applying starts step one. It does not commit you to steps two through six.

1
Application and Form 16
A registered debt counsellor assesses your income, expenses and total debt using credit bureau information. Once you sign the Form 16 you are legally under debt review.
2
Creditors notified
Within five business days of your signed Form 16 your counsellor sends Form 17.1 notices to every creditor. This is what triggers your legal protection.
3
Proposal to creditors
Using the verified balances, your counsellor builds a restructured plan at reduced interest over longer terms and sends it on a Form 17.2.
4
You start paying
One reduced monthly payment, straight away, to a registered Payment Distribution Agency that pays each creditor for you. You do not wait for the court.

A court order follows, making the plan binding on you and your creditors — but your payments and your protection are already in place before it is granted. When every restructured debt is paid you receive a Form 19 clearance certificate and the bureaus remove the flag within 7 to 21 business days.

What it costs to apply

Nothing upfront.

Debt counselling fees in South Africa are capped by the National Credit Regulator, and they are built into the reduced monthly payment rather than charged on top of it: a R50 application fee, a once-off restructuring fee capped at R9,000, and an aftercare fee of up to R450 a month. Nobody can lawfully charge more than the NCR caps, and anyone asking for a large payment before checking your legal status is not doing debt review.

The assessment itself is free and commits you to nothing. If the numbers say debt review is not right for you, you will be told that — a counsellor cannot lawfully take you under review unless you are over-indebted on the Section 79 test.

What to have ready

The assessment runs on three things. You do not need to gather paperwork before you start the chat.

Your South African ID number — the counsellor pulls your credit bureau record from it
What you earn each month, after deductions
What you spend each month on rent or bond, transport, food and school fees

Your credit record supplies the rest: every account, every balance, every instalment. That is why the assessment takes minutes rather than an evening of digging through statements.

Questions people ask before applying

Does applying put me under debt review?

No. You are legally under debt review only once you sign the Form 16. The assessment before it is free, and you can stop there.

How soon are my creditors told?

Within five business days of your signed Form 16, on a Form 17.1. That notice is what starts your legal protection, so it is in your interest rather than against it.

When do I make the first payment?

Straight away, once the plan is set — you do not wait for the court order. The payment goes to a registered Payment Distribution Agency, which pays each of your creditors for you.

Can I be turned down?

Yes, and you should be if the test says so. Debt review is for people who are over-indebted under Section 79 of the National Credit Act. If your income covers your debts, a counsellor cannot lawfully take you under review.

Is anything written off?

No. Debt review is not debt consolidation, administration or sequestration. No new loan is taken and nothing is written off — you repay in full, at lower interest, under legal protection.